Really interesting conversation happening over on Issac Butler’s blog, Parabasis about the closing of Shakespeare Santa Cruz (which always seemed to me like really lovely place to work). The announcement of SSC’s closing was sudden, and is apparently due to a drastic funding cut on the part of the University of Santa Cruz. Without the university’s support the theater is unable to continue operations.

Thought this was worth bringing up, especially when considered along side Abbing’s Why Are Artist’s Poor? Here a theatre is simply unable to exist without the support of its primary patron. Butler’s analysis is interesting, and confirmed in the comments beneath by none other than Marco Barricelli, artistic director of Shakespeare Santa Cruz. Barricelli goes on to state that ticket sales could not possibly sustain the theater (i.e. it cannot exist within the market economy alone) and advocates that individuals and organizations invest in the arts because it is good and worthwhile regardless of the dividends appear on the spreadsheet (which brings us back to some previous posts about arts advocacy and the value in supporting them).

Anyway, its sad. And definitely tangible evidence of how profoundly dependent artistic organizations are on the gift sphere.